Chapter Four

~Curiosities~

The Wizard of Ink Instagram account has over one hundred thousand followers. There are numerous pictures of me and hundreds of my ink designs. The contact information includes Inkspiration's phone number, email address, and website. The account seems aboveboard—except I didn't create it. I try to reset the password, but the code doesn't come to my email address. Searching for customer service options is an exercise in futility. I file a report, not knowing when or if someone will give a flying fuck that someone has stolen my identity. I have nothing to put in the section for damages because I've actually benefited from this unauthorized account.

Seth pokes his head into my office, looking apologetic. "Your first client has been waiting for fifteen minutes, and you are really packed today."

Of course I'm fucking packed—compliments of a ghost account on Instagram.

My day flies by. I barely have a few minutes to choke down a sandwich. As it is, I end up an hour behind. The day isn't a total loss. I ask my new clients, most of whom are between eighteen and twenty-five, how they found me. The overwhelming response is from posters and handouts at local clubs and music venues. It's actually a sound idea, but I don't understand why someone would do this for me.

At the end of the day, everyone else is up on the roof laughing and drinking while I finish my clients. I feel like a little kid banished to stay inside while everyone else is out having fun. After putting the finishing touches on a simple tribal tattoo, I walk my last customer out, thanking him for his business. Flipping the lock, I lean against the wall beside the door and rub my tired eyes.

I drag myself up the stairs to the roof and join the group. Jasper, Alice, Seth, Emmett, and Rose are sitting around the coffee table playing poker.

I open the fridge and grab a beer, popping the top off and taking a long drink. I fall into a beanbag chair, leaning back and stretching my legs.

"You want in, man?" Emmett asks.

I wave my hand. "Nah. I'm bushed."

"So, what was up today? Me and Jazzman were only half full."

"Somebody opened an Instagram account under Wizard of Ink and put up pics of me and my work. Any of you know anything about that?"

"Who the fuck would do that without asking?" Emmett looks as confused as the rest of us.

"My thoughts exactly."

Unless my friends are kick-ass liars, none of them did it. Alice tilts her dark head, looking thoughtful.

"I asked the customers how they heard about us today. Someone has been putting up flyers and handing out cards with my info at local clubs and shit."

"Strange," Jasper says.

After a few more hands, Emmett throws his cards down. "I'm out!"

Seth frowns. "Aw, come on! A few more hands?"

"Can't. I'm going out tonight."

Everyone's eyes are on Emmett.

"Where you off to?" I ask.

"I'm taking Lauren out dancing."

Jasper nods his head and grins. "Cool."

Rose seems surprised. "You dance?"

"I do lots of things." Emmett gathers his stuff and swaggers toward the stairs. "Later, guys!"

"Have fun!" I yell.

Alice's smile is self-satisfied, and I wonder if she had a hand in Emmett's date.

What's really interesting is the way Rose looks after him with her eyes narrowed. If I'm not mistaken, the expression on her face reveals intrigue.

oOo

On my next day off, I drive out to Jimmy's new place. The half hour ride there is a fairly straight shot; I enjoy driving down the highway with the windows down, the mild spring air blowing through the car.

I coast down the street where Jimmy's new house is. There are dense woods lining both sides of the paved road. Every so often there are mailboxes marking properties. I find 80 Starling Lane and turn onto the narrow gravel driveway, which meanders through the trees for quite a while before it straightens out. A quaint two-story white farmhouse with a wraparound porch comes into view. The front yard is overgrown with out of control weeds and bushes. In the distance are some outbuildings.

I pull up next to Jimmy's Porsche and cut the motor. This doesn't seem like his style. I can't even see his nearest neighbor. I get out and gaze around. There are large fields edged by dense woods. A soft breeze blows through knee-high weeds, and birds twitter nearby.

The steady chop of an axe draws me behind the house. Jimmy is working near a small shed, chopping and stacking firewood. He's shirtless and sweaty. The steady way he keeps arcing the axe—jaw tight, eyes intense—makes me wonder what demons he's trying to exorcize.

When I call out his name, his head whips my way, the look in his light brown eyes almost savage. My heart beats faster for a few seconds. He embeds the axe in a stump and smiles at me, all trace of whatever I just witnessed gone.

He holds his arms out wide. "Welcome to my humble abode! It needs some maintenance, but it's going to be a perfect haven."

"It's great!" I glance around. Up close, it's obvious the house could use a coat of paint, but the roof looks solid. Some of the outbuildings in the distance are sagging a bit but still look serviceable. "What can I do to help?"

I end up stripping off my shirt and using the ride-on mower to cut the lawn. I start with the front yard and continue halfway into the field behind the shed. After a few hours, my ass hurts, and my arms are tingling. I turn the mower off and use my shirt to mop the sweat off my face.

Jimmy brings out a six-pack of beer. Condensation beads on the brown bottles, some of it dripping off. I can't remember the last time a beer looked so appealing. He hands me one, and I drink half of it in one go. "Shit—that's good!"

Jimmy grins. "There's nothing like a cold drink after some manual labor!"

We drag an old wooden picnic table and barbecue grill out of the shed. There's a small market a few miles away, so we take a ride there to pick up some steaks, fresh corn, and a propane refill.

Jimmy grills the food, a beer in one hand. The sun sits low, sending streaks of pink across the cloud dotted sky. I relax, enjoying our easy friendship. It's like no time has passed at all.

When I'm halfway through my steak, Jimmy tilts his head, watching me with one of his intense gazes. "Why are you alone?"

I'm taken aback, and I must admit to feeling a bit defensive. I shrug. "I don't fucking know, man."

He smiles. "That, my friend, is a bullshit answer."

I close my eyes and blurt out my fear. "I think there's something wrong with me, Jim."

"Do you want to find that special someone?"

"Yeah. Maybe I'm too picky or something."

Jimmy shakes his head. "No. When you least expect it . . . boom! It's like being hit by a meteor. Totally decimates everything you thought you knew."

Well, now I know I haven't met the one yet. Nothing remotely like that has ever happened to me.

Jimmy's phone vibrates, and his eyes light up. "Hey, babe! . . . I miss you too . . . I'm sitting in our backyard with my buddy. We grilled some steaks, and we're knocking back a few cold ones. Say hello to Edward." Jimmy puts the phone on speaker.

"Hi, Edward."

"Hi . . . um . . ." I realize Jimmy never told me his girl's name.

"Bella."

~*oOo*~

A/N: So I've discovered I'm not a good drabbler. Most chapters are over 1k, some over 2K. Thanks for joining me on this bumpy ride. This is an E/B story, but they don't start out together. Please be patient with them! Love reading all your thoughts and theories. See you next Saturday!

Huge thanks to my awesome betas, SassySue (chayasara) and Wendy (wmr1601), for wielding the sparkly reds and fixing my flaws. Wendy made the banner for this story. You must check it out!

I've heard notifications aren't going out to a lot of people. Freddie and Princess updated this week. I do post teasers and links to updates on my blog and on Facebook in the No Rules Twilight Fan Fiction and It All Started With Twilight groups.

Animal was featured on the TLS Sneak Peek on September 24th. Hop on over there if you want to read a teaser from future chapters. And I must thank the ladies at TLS for featuring many of my stories in their What We're Reading feature! Animal was up there this past week! Mwah!

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